Arsenal have reportedly received a major boost in their pursuit of Sporting CP goal machine Victor Gyokeres as they look to bring in a prolific new striker.
Mikel Arteta is keen to bring in a new front man with the quality to compete with Erling Haaland in the scoring charts and fire the Gunners to the Premier League title.
As we exclusively revealed months ago, Arsenal have told Eddie Nketiah that he’s free to find a new club this summer as he won’t be guaranteed consistent playing time.
Nketiah will need replacing if he is sold, as expected, and Gyokeres is thought to be at the top of Arteta’s striker shortlist.
The 26-year-old joined Sporting CP from Coventry City for around £20m last summer and he’s been banging in goals for fun in Portugal – netting 43 times in 50 matches in 2023/24.
Gyokeres’ impressive performances have caught the attention of multiple clubs but Arsenal and Napoli have been viewed as favourites in the race for weeks, while Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are also admirers of his.
The major hurdle to a deal for either team, though, is the £86m release clause in Gyokeres’ contract, which Sporting are demanding in full.
Napoli OUT of Gyokeres race, for now
Gyokeres is under contract with Sporting until 2028 so the Portuguese giants hold all the power in negotiations, but fresh reports suggest a deal could happen for Arsenal.
Gyokeres’ £86m price tag makes a deal ‘impossible’ for Napoli, leaving the Gunners as the clear favourites to sign the Swedish international, which will no doubt please Arteta.
This was admitted by Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna over the weekend, per reports from Italy, and he will now turn his attention to cheaper striker targets.
Arsenal’s path to signing Gyokeres could be ‘cleared further’ if PSG pursue a deal for Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen, who is valued at around £110m.
However, Osimhen’s long-expected sale could give Napoli the funds they need to match Gyokeres’ release clause, so there could still be plenty of twists and turns in the race for the Swede.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal make a concrete bid for Gyokeres in the coming weeks as it’s clear to see they’re very interested in him.
It’s likely, however, that the Gunners will have to sell Nketiah or another player before they send a big-money offer to Sporting.
Nketiah is valued at £40m and has interest from Crystal Palace and abroad. Marseille are reportedly preparing a bid in the hopes of forming a lethal new attacking combination with Mason Greenwood.
